Recent Comments by Ufez Jones

NFL Pickem Week 2: I Drafted A.J. Brown Edition

Revised picks for week 2:

Panthers by 4
Ravens by 7
Bears by 10 (lock)
Texans by 3
Patriots by 8
Packers by 7
Buccaneers by 8 (lock)
Eagles by 6
Broncos by 7
Chargers by 3
Seahawks by 10 (lock)
Cowboys by 6
49ers by 13 (lock)
Chiefs by 6
Rams by 10 (lock)

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:03 AM on September 20, 2026

NFL Pickem Week 2: I Drafted A.J. Brown Edition

My picks for week 2:

Bills by 6

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:31 PM on September 17, 2026

Enter the SportsFilter NFL Pickem

Revised picks:

Bears by 4
Bengals by 3
Lions by 10 (lock)
Bills by 5
Colts by 4
Jaguars by 10 (lock)
Steelers by 6
Titans by 4
Chargers by 8 (lock)
Raiders by 7
Packers by 6
Eagles by 8
Cowboys by 4
Broncos by 9

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:26 AM on September 13, 2026

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

That was the most excited text I've gotten from my dad in...ever, probably.

posted by Ufez Jones at 08:17 PM on September 12, 2026

D.K. Metcalf Blows the Lid Off Antarctica

I'm curious as to what H.R. Pufnstuf has to say on the matter.

"Yeah, I'm a big conspiracy theorist," Metcalf told Jones. "Shout out to my quarterback."

Oh, okay, cool. Sounds like they took some shrooms and watched John Carpenter's "The Thing".

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:22 AM on September 10, 2026

Enter the SportsFilter NFL Pickem

My picks:

Seahawks by 6
Rams by 10 (lock)

posted by Ufez Jones at 06:22 PM on September 09, 2026

Clippers Lose 5 First-Round Picks for Cheating Salary Cap

Only reason that I can see he gets a simple slap on the wrist (with a wet noodle) is the NBA doesn't want to go to war with the NBPA.

I think it's mostly this, combined with Uncle Dennis serving as a fall guy with his five-year suspension, plus the fact that any suspension to Kawhi, even without pay, would inadvertently hurt a Raptors team that is hoping to compete in a very tough Eastern Conference.

We'll never know, of course, but I am curious if there was any sort of negotiation or other behind-the-scenes communications between the vested parties here before the decision was finalized.

Also, how lucky is Adam Silver that it's the Clippers involved and not one of the cornerstone franchises? I can't see him taking a crowbar to the knees of the Lakers, Celtics, or Knicks like this.

posted by Ufez Jones at 01:20 PM on September 03, 2026

Clippers Lose 5 First-Round Picks for Cheating Salary Cap

Losing first-round draft picks is kind of a nice double-whammy. Not only does it make it difficult for them to add young talent, those things are incredibly valuable in the current trade market.

I don't know if this is "appropriate" or not since there isn't much of a precedent set, but yes, hooray for some real-ass consequences.

The article doesn't state this outright: Safe to assume this clears up any remaining obstacles in Kawhi's return to Toronto?

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:41 PM on September 02, 2026

LeBron Chooses the 76ers

If it wasn't going to be one of the more obvious three of GSW/CLE/MIA, I was kind of hoping he'd land in Minnesota (ANT and LaMelo were reportedly campaigning). That would've been fun.

But here we are! If Kawhi actually winds up playing meaningful basketball in Toronto this season the Atlantic Division is going to be pretty fascinating.

Edit: It almost certainly won't happen, but I'm selfishly wondering if this opens up the idea of a Kyrie for VJ Edgecombe trade.

posted by Ufez Jones at 02:59 PM on July 24, 2026

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

With knockout victories over Portugal and France in this World Cup, the Spanish National Football Team now has more playoff wins at JerryWorld (2) than the Dallas Cowboys do (1).

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:58 PM on July 15, 2026

USA Red Card Overturned: New Information

No need to worry, the IOC is investigating. If anyone can clear up a corruption scandal, it's the masters themselves.

posted by Ufez Jones at 12:33 PM on July 15, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

For those not keeping an eye on the NBA off-season, here's a quick summary:
- Giannis now plays for Miami
- LaMelo Ball now plays for Minnesota
- Julius Randle now plays for Brooklyn
- Ja Morant is now one of four starting PGs on the Portland Trailblazers
- LeBron James no longer plays for the Lakers. Highly rumored to join Steph and Draymond in Golden State followed by a possible pursuit of Anthony Davis
- and we just learned that Kawhi Leonard is headed back to Toronto.

And now Free Agency begins.

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:48 PM on June 30, 2026

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

Imagine being so disliked that you're banned from a building by the likes of Dolan.

Given how thin-skinned and petty Dolan is (even for a billionaire), this might be one of the easiest clubs in Manhattan to get into.

posted by Ufez Jones at 09:23 AM on June 15, 2026

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

Wu-Tang Clan ain't nuthin' to fuck with!

posted by Ufez Jones at 09:30 AM on June 11, 2026

NBA Playoff Pickem: NBA Finals

Sure, but I'm gonna need to see a receipt from anyone that picks Josh Hart for top rebounder. (/s)

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:11 AM on June 04, 2026

NBA Playoff Pickem: NBA Finals

My picks:

Knicks in 6
Top point scorer: Jalen Brunson
Top rebounder: OG Anunoby
Game 1 winner: Spurs
Team scoring most points in game: Spurs
Series MVP: Jalen Brunson
Top fouler: Karl-Anthony Towns
Top three-point shooter: Julian Champagnie

This should be a pretty fun series!

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:57 PM on June 03, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

Oof, "Four-piece chicken nugget" is gonna be a tough nickname to live down.

I feel like the only saving grace for Chet right now is that the Finals start tomorrow night and most folks will move on rather quickly. Been a while since I've seen an athlete get roasted this hard.

posted by Ufez Jones at 04:15 PM on June 02, 2026

The New York Knicks sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers and are headed to the Finals for the first time since 1999

Yeah, Luke Kornet is getting chicken-fried and smothered in gravy.

posted by Ufez Jones at 01:26 PM on May 28, 2026

The New York Knicks sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers and are headed to the Finals for the first time since 1999

Yeah, I think that's a very fair statement. This series has been so compelling that it's kind of easy to forget, but the T-Wolves taking down the Nuggets in the first round deprived us of a Jokic vs. Wemby 2nd round matchup that (in my opinion) could've easily gone either way.

Their young core of Castle, Vassell, Harper, and Johnson is obviously very legit though. Their window is going stay open so long as Wemby can stay on the court.

posted by Ufez Jones at 12:02 PM on May 28, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:14 AM on May 28, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

Okay, that one's pretty funny.

posted by Ufez Jones at 08:49 AM on May 28, 2026

The New York Knicks sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers and are headed to the Finals for the first time since 1999

Last time the Knicks were in this position they played San Antonio and the Sports Deities do love them a rematch.

Also, he didn't play much, but Jalen Brunson's father Rick was a deep bench guy on that Knicks squad.

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:34 PM on May 26, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

I've always kinda liked De'Aaron Fox, but I don't know that this is the kind of series he's going to have a big impact on. The way Castle, Harper (who is a 20 y/o rookie!), and Vassell played last night, my guess is Mitch Johnson would've stuck with that same 5 (Wemby and Champagnie) in the OTs.

It seemed like a huge move at the time, but it feels like the Spurs hitting hard on their last few draft picks have made Fox a bit extraneous. We'll see though, it looks like he'll be available for G2.

Also, sweet jebus, how historically great is last year's rookie class looking? It's kind of tough to grasp that this Summer's could be even better. Massive influx of talent coming into the league.

posted by Ufez Jones at 01:13 PM on May 19, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

What a fun night of playoffs!

I never saw ESPN show the crowd at the Bell Centre's reaction to the game-winner, so here it is for anyone that's curious.

I still have no idea how the Spurs/Thunder series is going to shake out, but I plan to be locked in for every bit of it. Absolute cinema last night and it's only going to get better as the series progresses.

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:29 AM on May 19, 2026

NBA Playoff Pickem: Conference Finals

My picks:

Thunder in 7
Knicks in 6
Top point scorer: Jalen Brunson
Top rebounder: Wemby
Most points per game: Knicks
Least opponent points per game: Knicks

Can we make the OKC/Spurs series a Best of 17?

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:33 PM on May 18, 2026

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

Yeah, the Thunder are in that same "8 games in the past 5 weeks" boat, but shit is finally about to get really real for them, lol.

Ooh, Cle/Det game 7 tonight!

Here's hoping the Paul Reed Renaissance continues!

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:50 PM on May 17, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

I'd personally prefer basketball, but I feel like whichever of the PWHL, NWSL, or WNBA is the first to try a team in STL will do quite well.

We did get a date on the PWHL's tour when they were scouting cities and I heard it was a great event, but I'm sure there's a lot more to it than just that.

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:02 PM on May 12, 2026

NBA Playoff Pickem Round 2: Conference Semifinals

My picks:

76ers in 7
Spurs in 6
Pistons in 7
Thunder in 4
Top point scorer: Shai
Top rebounder: Gobert
Most points per game: Thunder
Least opponent points per game: Spurs

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:04 PM on May 04, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Former Raptors Executive Masai Ujiri hired as new Dallas Mavericks General Manager. I like it!

posted by Ufez Jones at 02:13 PM on May 04, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Dang, even the Canadian spammers are polite.

posted by Ufez Jones at 01:19 PM on May 04, 2026

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

Big day if you like Game 7s:
- Magic & Pistons at 3:30E/2:30C (ABC)
- Canadiens & Lightning at 6:00E/5:00C (TNT)
- Cavaliers & Raptors at 7:30E/6:30C (NBC)

Still kinda shocked that both the Nuggets and Celtics got the first round boot.

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:30 AM on May 03, 2026

Philadelphia Eagles Draft Pick Has Never Played Football

Are we 100% sure we're not being Sidd Finch-ed?

posted by Ufez Jones at 01:49 PM on April 30, 2026

Enter the NBA Playoff Pickem

My picks:

Cavaliers in 7
Nuggets in 5
Hawks in 7
Rockets in 5
Celtics in 5
Thunder in 4
Pistons in 5
Spurs in 5
Top point scorer: Jamaal Murray
Top rebounder: Jalen Duren
Most points per game: Thunder
Least opponent points per game: Spurs

Minor error that I doubt will affect anyone's picks: The Nuggets are playing the T-Wolves, not the Clips.

Glad to see you around, rcade. Very much looking forward to some wall-to-wall basketball this weekend!

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:37 AM on April 18, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Huh, I figured Malone would get back into coaching before too long but this wasn't the move I saw coming.

posted by Ufez Jones at 04:13 PM on April 06, 2026

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

For all I know he's planning on succeeding Steve Kerr, and I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking twice about jumping from the Pro Coaching ranks into College in the current environment, but I'd kind of love to see Jerry Stackhouse take a run at it.

posted by Ufez Jones at 09:22 PM on April 03, 2026

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

Bill Self set to return for 24th season with Kansas, keeping the Jayhawks out of the coaching carousel mess.

posted by Ufez Jones at 07:14 PM on April 01, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Lol, that would be a wonderful insult to injury: Cuban sells his majority stake in the Mavs to some absolute ghouls and uses the money to poach the coach of my mid-major alma mater/employer.

My understanding (as a fan/citizen, I don't have any inside info here) is that Richard Chaifetz is funding a good chunk of SLU's ascension, which makes sense given they've played in his namesake arena for quite some time. The whole "billionaires taking over College Sports and the rest of the world" sickens my soul, but I guess it's better to at least have one in your corner.

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:18 PM on March 30, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Oof, glad to hear it, NoMich. This is turning into a surprisingly uneasy off-season given all the coaching chaos in the big money programs.

Hope Gainey works out well for y'all. Homegrown is always a nice bonus when it clicks.

posted by Ufez Jones at 12:55 PM on March 30, 2026

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

posted by Ufez Jones at 09:44 AM on March 26, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Hell yeah, glad to hear it. Y'all will have a blast. They cleared out a women-only pit for "RIDING WITH MY GIRLS" if your wife feels like mixing it up a bit.

posted by Ufez Jones at 02:28 PM on March 23, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Private aside to NoMich: Saw Die Spitz on Saturday night, absolutely killer again. I trust you've got tix secured for the Cat's Cradle show later in the year?

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:40 AM on March 23, 2026

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

Yeah, other than first few minutes when they were kind of jittery and loose with the ball, that couldn't have gone much better for the Billikens. They just picked apart Georgia's defense and created a layup line. Starting the second half on an 18-0 run put a quick end to any thoughts of a comeback.

I'm sure the Wolverines won't be as easy to dissect, but SLU's got a nasty three-point game that they didn't even need to use last night in their pockets. If any two or three of maybe six or seven valid options get hot, they might be able to keep it close.

They're losing a couple of key guys at the end of the year, most notably Robbie Avila and Dion Brown, but Trey Green/Amari McCottrey/Ishan Sharma/Brady Dunlap are all Sophomores so there will be plenty of talent remaining and I'm hoping Schertz's extension and this flash of national prominence (even if it ends tomorrow) will give them some extra options in the transfer portal. With the Cardinals and Blues both stuck at the bottom of the standings, they've got a real good opportunity here to raise their local standing for a bit.

posted by Ufez Jones at 02:00 PM on March 20, 2026

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

THANKS FOR NOTHING SIENA!!!

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:07 PM on March 19, 2026

March Madness

It's been a fun season for SLU's Billikens, who won the A-10 Title and earned a 9-seed. They play the (8) Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday night in what looks to be one of the closest matchups on paper. Winner (almost certainly) gets Michigan!

posted by Ufez Jones at 01:59 PM on March 16, 2026

Bam Adebayo scores 83, passes Kobe Bryant for second most in a game in NBA history

If you told me someone was going to surpass 81 this season I wouldn't have any problem whatsoever believing you.

Bam wouldn't have been in my first 50 guesses of who would do it, though. Good on him!

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:55 AM on March 11, 2026

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

Going to be an interesting barometer of a week for Howard's Celtics as they play at the Spurs tonight and at OKC on Thursday. Nice eatin' for those of us without much of a stake left in the season too.

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:46 PM on March 10, 2026

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

The Miami Dolphins are releasing Tua Tagovailoa, eating a record $99 Million dead-cap hit over the next two years.

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:29 AM on March 09, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 18: Magic Time

Revised picks:

Rockets by 9 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 4
Spurs by 5
Nuggets by 7
Celtics by 11

posted by Ufez Jones at 03:30 PM on February 28, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 18: Magic Time

My picks:

Magic by 5
Timberwolves by 9
Pistons by 8 (slam dunk)
Thunder by 7

I still don't get how the mostly healthy Nuggets lost to Golden State's C-Team, but so it goes.

posted by Ufez Jones at 07:07 PM on February 26, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 17: Two Months to the Playoffs

Revised picks:

Cavaliers by 12
Nuggets by 15 (slam dunk)
Celtics by 7

posted by Ufez Jones at 12:13 PM on February 22, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 17: Two Months to the Playoffs

My picks:

Pistons by 5
Celtics by 12 (slam dunk)
Timberwolves by 9 (slam dunk)
Lakers by 7
Knicks by 10

posted by Ufez Jones at 02:19 PM on February 19, 2026

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

DOG AT THE OLYMPICS
FULL COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
(BlueSky)

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:10 PM on February 18, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 16: All Star Edition

My picks:

76ers by 6
Spurs by 11 (slam dunk)
Thunder by 6
Lakers by 10

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:36 AM on February 11, 2026

NFL Playoff Pickem: Super Bowl 0x3C

Passer: Sam Darnold
Rusher: Kenneth Walker Aye-Aye-Aye
Receiver: Smith-Njigba
Player with interception: Davis (NE)
Player with sack: Demarcus Lawrence
Player with first turnover: Kenneth Walker
Super Bowl MVP: Darnold
Tiebreaker: 34

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:33 PM on February 08, 2026

NFL Playoff Pickem: Super Bowl 0x3C

2nding NoMich

posted by Ufez Jones at 01:07 PM on February 08, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 15: Swap Meet Edition

My picks:

Raptors by 12 (slam dunk)
Suns by 9 (slam dunk)
Pistons by 6
Clippers by 7
Rockets by 5
Spurs by 7
Lakers by 4
Knicks by 4
Timberwolves by 9

All that Giannis talk for nothin'!

posted by Ufez Jones at 06:37 PM on February 05, 2026

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

Just a couple of old bunkmates getting together and dropping 83. That was a really fun game.

posted by Ufez Jones at 12:11 AM on January 30, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 14: NBA Every Day

I'm good with whatever, but tbh I find myself enjoying (and therefore watching) Prime's coverage a lot more than ESPN's, and not just for Nowitzki-related reasons.

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:34 PM on January 27, 2026

NBA Pickem Week 14: NBA Every Day

My picks:

76ers by 9 (slam dunk)
Clippers by 16 (slam dunk)
Lakers by 7
Rockets by 4
Bucks by 6
Thunder by 11 (slam dunk)
Raptors by 8
Pistons by 10 (slam dunk)
Spurs by 8
Rockets by 12 (slam dunk)
Celtics by 15 (slam dunk)
Lakers by 6
Thunder by 7

posted by Ufez Jones at 05:32 PM on January 27, 2026